missis  SIP  pi" 

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t  P-. 

^  cTWISSISSIPPI 

Mississippi — a  sentry  at  the  turnstile  of  progress — in- 
vites the  world  to  a  birthday  fete. 

The  invitation  is  the  story  of  a  land  that  has  found 
itself.  The  day  dreams  of  Mississippi — region  of  romance, 
flowers,  sunshine,  temperate  climate,  health  and  boundless 
opportunities  for  material  success — are  coming  true. 

There  is  a  message  here  for  you — tourist,  homeseeker, 
investor,  educator,  fortune  hunter,  or  man  with  the  spirit 
of  wanderlust.  The  American  frontier  of  today  is  Missis- 
sippi. There  the  virgin  opportunity  is  yet  to  be  found, 
although  dTberville  trod  the  Gulf  Coast  of  this  State  and 
founded  its  first  colony  more  than  two  hundred  years  ago. 

The  new  winter  play  ground  of  America;  the  rich  lands 
of  a  State  but  one-third  developed;  the  orange  and  pecan 
groves,  vineyards,  gardens,  farms,  large  and  small;  the 
untouched  resources  of  twenty  million  acres  of  productive 
soil,  and  a  hospitable  people,  are  calling  to  you. 

It  is  because  of  all  this  that  the  Mississippi  Centennial 
Exposition,  celebrating  the  one-hundredth  anniversary  of 
State  sovereignty,  is  to  be  held  in  Gulfport,  December  10, 
1917  to  June  10,  1918. 

Big  things  are  under  way  in  Mississipp.  No  state 
can  more  proudly  stage  an  Exposition  of  its  progress  and 
its  opportunities.  There  remains  only  the  duty  of  convey- 
ing to  you  the  story  of  why  Mississippi  invites  the  world 
to  celebrate  with  her. 

Primarily  the  Mississippi  Centennial  Exposition  will 
reflect  the  advances  made  by  the  State  since  its  admission 
into  the  Union.  Mississippians  are  proud  of  their  record. 
When  one  considers  the  comparatively  small  population 
of  the  State,  the  retarded  growth  incident  to  Reconstruct- 
ion days  and  the  lack,  until  a  few  years  ago,  of  proper 
transportation  facilities,  there  is  no  apology  due  for  the 
fact  that  two-thirds  of  Mississippi's  area  still  must  be  cul- 
tivated. 

Rather  is  this  an  invitation  to  the  outsider  to  come 
and  cast  his  lot  in  a  region  of  frontier  opportunity. 

For  many  years  Mississippi,  with  great  powers  and 
resources  lying  latent  within  her,  has  watched  the  sweep 
of  travel  Westward.  The  tread  of  the  homeseeker  was 
heard  on  the  plains  to  the  north  of  the  Magnolia  State. 
T|he  man  seeking  a  change  of  scene  and  a  new  field  of 
success  has  failed  to  look  Southward  because  he  did  not 
know. 

While   Mississippi  failed   to  awake,  the   soils   of  the 


Middle  West,  even  of  the  Pacific  Coast,  have  been  stirred 
by  the  newcomer  and  the  pioneer.  Arid  lands  felt  the 
touch  of  transported  water  and  responded  because  of  that 
trtificial  stimulation.  The  widely  advertised  sections  of 
California  and  Florida  called  their  thousands  and  the  high- 
priced  farms  in  the  country's  interior  shifted  the  center  of 
population. 

And  all  this  time  Mississippi  held  within  her  bosom 
a  secret  of  incalculable  value.  She  neglected  to  let  the 
world  know  that  her  lands  required  no  irrigation,  that 
three  and  four  crops  a  year  may  be  grown  on  Mississippi 
soil,  that  a  mild  climate  has  made  of  her  a  winter  garden, 
and  20,000,000  acres  await  the  hoe. 

In  the  realms  of  literature,  art,  science,  statesman- 
ship, politics,  and  industry,  Mississippi  has  made  history. 
It  is  only  in  self-advertising  that  she  has  failed. 

The  Mississippi  Centennial  Exposition,  therefore  has 
a  two-fold  mission.  It  will  not  only  record  the  progress 
made  during  one  hundred  years  of  Statehood,  but  it  must 
convincingly  portray  the  boundless  opportunities  offered 
by  Mississippi  today  and  teach  the  State  that  the  light 
hereafter  is  not  to  be  hidden  under  a  bushel. 

At  the  Exposition  one  will  learn  that  it  is  set  in  a 
four-crop  country — that  Mississippi  is  not  dependent  upon 
cotton  plantations  which  produce  or  fail  according  to  the 
activities  of  the  boll  weevil. 

Here  it  will  be  shown  that  Mississippi  has  neither  a 
](*ainy  nor  a  dry  season;  that  sixty  inches  of  rain  fall 
annually  and  it  is  beneficently  distributed  throughout  the 
seasons. 

Here  will  be  revealed  a  climate  without  extremes  of 
heat  or  cold;  a  climate  that  makes  possible  the  growing  of 
fruits,  vegetables  and  flowers  in  the  dead  of  winter. 

Here  will  be  exhibited  the  products  of  truck  gardens, 
orange  and  pecan  groves,  com,  cane  and  cotton  plantations, 
dairies  and  stock  farms — all  the  yield  of  once  barren  lands 
or  regions  where  forests  stood. 

And  here  in  the  final  analysis,  will  b^  shown  a  wonder 
spot  where  one  may  find  either  pleasure  or  profit  and  spend 
the  remainder  of  his  days  in  contentment. 

It  must  not  be  inferred  that  the  laggard,  the  ambi- 
tionless  man,  the  derelict,  will  find  Utopian  happiness  and 
ease  in  this  "frontier"  section.  Opportunity  is  not  here 
for  the  individual  who  is  unwilling  to  put  his  shoulder  to 
the  wheel  of  the  State's  development,  and  who  is  too  in- 
diferent  to  help  himself. 

But  it  is  here  for  the  homeseeker  with  a  little  capital 
and  a  purpose;  it  is  here  for  the  investor  on  large  scale, 
and  it  is  here  for  the  man  of  great  wealth  who  .seeks  a 


playground  and  an  ideal  spot  to  spend  his  leisure  time. 

The  Mississippi  Centennial  Exposition  will  be  staged 
within  a  few  rods  of  the  shores  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  To 
the  east  and  west  stretches  a  picturesque  Gulf  Coast,  where 
magnificent  homes  extend  for  miles  along  the  shell  roads 
tliat  skirt  the  shore  line. 

To  the  south  lies  a  wide  expanse  of  salt  water,  dotted 
here  and  there  by  quaint  fishing  smacks,  old-fashioned 
schooners,  great  sailing  vessels,  motor  boats  and  pleasure 
yachts.  To  the  north  are  millions  of  acres  of  developed 
and  undeveloped  lands — an  agricultural  region  second  to 
none  in  the  United  States.  There  are  still  to  be  found,  too, 
vast  tracts  of  virgin  timber  and  saw  mills  that  have  made 
(iulfport  for  many  years  a  leading  export  point  for  the 
shipment  of  lumber. 

Between  the  Exposition  grounds  and  Biloxi  is  "Beau- 
voir,"  once  the  home  of  Jefferson  Davis,  president  of  the 
Confederacy.  Davis  came  here  after  the  war  and  it  was 
here  that  he  wrote  ''The  Rise  and  Fall  of  the  Confederacy." 
"Beauvoir,"  now  maintained  by  the  State  of  Mississippi 
and  the  Mississippi  Sons  of  Confederate  Veterans,  is  the 
last  earthly  residence  of  several  hundred  veterans  and 
widows  of  veterans. 

"Beauvoir"  is  one  of  the  show  places  of  the  Gulf  Coast 
country — a  section  which  abounds  in  spots  of  unusual 
scenic  beauty  and  historic  interest.  This  soldiers'  home  is 
situated  midway  between  Guifport,  a  thriving  town  less 
than  twenty  years  old,  and  Biloxi,  a  town  more  than  two 
hundred  years  old. 

Pass  Christian,  another  winter  resort,  is  but  a  few 
miles  from  the  Exposition  site.  President  Woodrow  Wil- 
son spent  a  Christmas  at  "The  Pass,"  and  plans  are  under 
way  to  invite  him  to  return  while  the  Exposition  is  in 
progress.  ''Wilson  Day"  at  the  Centennial  will  be  a  banner 
event,  for  this  is  an  Exposition  held  in  the  "Solid  South" 
and  participated  in  by  an  entire  nation. 

The  Mississippi  Centennial  Exposition  is  not  to  be 
merely  a  local  affair.  It  is  not  a  "State  Fair."  Sister 
States  and  Foreign  Governments  will  have  their  exhibits 
at  Guifport.  The  United  States  Government  has  formally 
recognized  the  Centennial  and  authorized  the  President  to 
invite  participation  by  foreign  nations. 

Because  of  the  Great  War  the  most  of  Europe  cannot 
join  in  the  Centennial  celebration  but  the  nations  of  the 
Latin-American,  in  furtherance  of  the  movement  for  trade 
promotion  and  more  friendly  relations  among  the  American 
countries,  are  in  position  to  accept  such  an  invitation. 

The  exhibit  of  the  Federal  Government  represents  a 
value  of  approximately  $800,000.  The  sum  of  $75,000  was 
appropriated  to  bring  the  exhibit  to  Guifport  from  the  San 


Diego  Exposition,  and  a  number  of  additions  have   been 
made. 

The  Exposition  grounds  cover  147  acres.  The  ma- 
jority of  the  buildings  will  be  permanent  in  structure  and 
in  them  will  be  found  a  comprehensive  story  of  the  in- 
dustries, developments  and  opportunities  of  the  Magnolia 
State  and  of  other  sections.  The  number  and  size  of  these 
buildings — the  Mississippi,  Coliseum,  Woman's  and  Edu- 
cation, Manufacturers,  Arts  and  Crafts,  Efficiency,  Admin- 
istration, Lumbermen's,  Negro  and  Federal — give  an  idea 
of  the  scope  of  the  Centennial  celebration. 

Mississippi's  eighty  counties  are  squarely  behind  the 
State's  birthday  party.  The  Centennial  will  be  the  first 
exposition  of  national  scope  held  in  the  far  South  within 
thirty  years  and  Mississippi  and  the  entire  South  are  vitally 
interested. 

The  little  city  of  Gulf  port  donated  $125,000  to  the  Ex- 
position fund  and  the  county  of  Harrison,  in  which  Gulf- 
port  lies,  a  like  sum.  That  is  just  an  index  of  Mississippi's 
awakening. 

Mississippi  has  seized  upon  the  historical  occasion  of 
its  one-hundredth  anniversary  of  Statehood  to  hold  an  Ex- 
position, *'but  the  frank  motive  is  to  exploit  the  wonderful 
agricultural,  horticultural,  industrial  and  commercial  re- 
sources of  Mississippi  and  adjoining  states." 

In  this  connection  an  Exposition  official  shows  that 
during  the  past  decade  the  South  has  increased  the  assessed 
value  of  its  property  81.25  per  cent,  increased  its  total 
wealth  129.23  per  cent,  increased  its  banking  capital  68.92 
per  cent,  increased  its  mileage  of  improved  roads  147.28 
per  cent — with  proportionate  increase  in  other  fields  of 
endeavor — and  yet  the  population  has  grown  but  14.13  per 
cent. 

*'The  fact  that  the  South  has  increased  less  than  fif- 
teen per  cent  in  population,  and  that  Mississippi  alone  has 
20,000,000  acres  of  uncultivated  land  (most  of  which  can 
be  bought  at  $5  to  $25  per  acre)  points  to  the  solution  of 
our  troubles.  The  need  of  Mississippi  and  the  South  is 
more  homeseekers." 

The  importance  of  the  mission  of  the  Mississippi  Cen- 
tennial Exposition  is  apparent  when  one  considers  just  a 
few  facts  about  the  State.     For  instance: 

Prior  to  the  outbreak  of  the  European  War  the  ship- 
ments of  lumber  alone  from  Gulfport  has  been  more  than 
three  billion  feet  annually  for  several  years. 

The  value  of  naval  stores  products  from  three  Missis- 
sippi counties  was  placed  at  $1,250,000,000  per  year. 

Biloxi  is  the  largest  shrimp  packing  point  in  the  world. 

I    Practically  every  fish  from  the  minnow  to  the  tarpon  is 

caught  off  the  Gulf  Coast.     The  "shrimp  fleet,"  hundreds 


of  white-winged  schooners  sailing  the  Mississippi  Sound 
for  oysters,  shrimp,  crabs  and  fish,  is  one  of  the  novel 
sights  of  the  Gulf  Coast — a  Coast  that  furnishes  annually 
seafood  products  worth  approximately  $1,800,000. 

Seven  out  of  the  ten  successful  varieties  of  the  paper 
shell  pecan  originated  on  Mississippi  Soil.  Within  a  few 
years  thousands  of  acres  of  land  have  been  planted  in 
pecans,  and  the  industry,  yet  in  its  infancy,  promises  an 
increasingly  rich  yield  in  nuts  and  money. 

The  satsuma  orange,  practically  immune  to  cold  and 
possessing  a  delicious  flavor,  is  becoming  a  favorite  Mis- 
sissippi product.  So  great  is  the  market  that  the  supply 
is  about  exhausted  before  the  Christmas  holidays  each 
year. 

Citrus  fruits  are  easily  grown  in  Mississippi.  Bearing 
trees  on  the  Exposition  grounds  will  be  a  free  sideshow 
at  the  centenary  jubilee. 

Commercial  trucking,  the  raising  of  cattle,  sheep  and 
hogs,  diversified  farming  that  has  rid  Mississippi  of  the 
"one  crop  slavery"  of  a  half  century  ago,  and  an  industrial 
development  that  is  fairly  representative  of  the  hundred 
years  of  Statehood,  are  a  few  other  things  of  which  the 
Exposition  will  be  a  mirror. 

And  if  this  has  been  accomplished  by  a  State  but 
thinly  populated — as  population  goes  today — who  can  de- 
ny that  here  is  the  land  of  opportunity  and  the  refuge  for 
those  who  have  tired  of  the  beaten  track. 

From  an  historical  standpoint  the  Mississippi  Centen- 
nial will  weave  a  narrative  that  will  entertain  and  instruct. 
Some  of  the  Old  World's  most  intrepid  explorers  have 
pressed  the  soil  of  Mississippi.  More  than  tw^o  centuries 
ago  DeSoto,  Joliet,  Marquette,  Iberville,  Bienville  and  La- 
Salle  were  charmed  by  the  scenes  and  climate  of  a  region 
that  is  the  Mississippi  of  today.  Their  vision  of  civiliza- 
tion and  plenty  has  become  reality. 

What  a  thrill  must  come  as  one  follows  at  the  Expo- 
sition the  story  of  Mississippi  from  the  days  of  Indians, 
with  their  legends  and  their  romances,  their  battles  and 
their  surrenders,  to  these  times  of  peaceful  pursuits  and  a 
State's  start  upon  a  second  century  of  prosperity  and 
growth. 

Here  are  a  few  historical  facts  about  the  Magnolia 
State : 

The  Constitutional  Convention  voted  28  to  17  to  nam? 
the  new   State  Mississippi  instead  of  Washington. 

Mississippi  chartered  the  first  college  for  women  in 
the  United  States. 

This   State   was   the    fir.st   in   the    Union    to   urge   the 


abolishment   of   imprisonment   for   debt,   and   the   first   to 
apply  the  principle  of  popular  government  to  the  Judiciary. 

Mississippi  was  also  the  first  State  to  remove  the 
common  law  disabilities  of  married  women,  and  the  first  to 
establish  an  institution  for  the  higher  education  of  young 
women. 

The  fascinating  and  evasive  character,  Philip  Nolan, 
lived  here  before  his  spectacular  career  began;  Aaron  Burr 
was  captured  on  Mississippi  soil;  Audubon,  the  great 
naturalist,  once  lived  here;  William  Dunbar,  the  scientist, 
was  a  Mississippian;  Jefferson  Davis  lived  in  Mississippi 
as  a  youth  and  again  as  an  old  man;  Mississippi  gave  to 
the  Nation  Sargent  Prentiss,  an  oratorical  giant;  in  1799 
Lorenzo  Dow  sold  his  watch  and  purchased  the  ground  for 
a  church,  the  first  protestant  house  of  worship  in  the  great 
Mississippi  Territory. 

These  are  but  mile  post  events  stretching  along  the 
way  to  the  Mississippi  of  today.  The  region  is  as  rich  in 
romance  and  history  as  it  is  in  natural  resources.  The 
composite  story  is  one  that  will  make  the  Mississippi 
Centennial  of  absorbing  interest. 

The  State  faces  the  future  with  the  utmost  confidence. 
The  pendulum  of  progress  has  swung  toward  Mississippi. 

There  is  a  place  here  for  you — whether  tourist,  home- 
seeker  or  adventurer.  The  world's  highways  are  traversed 
by  many  men  and  women  who  have  but  to  turn  their  eyes 
Southward  and  satisfy  the  inborn  craving  for  a  home  and 
happiness. 

Here  one  may  find  health,  pleasure,  plenty,  industrial 
ynd  agricultural  opportunity,  a  climate  that  leads  to  con- 
tentment and  the  land  that  allures.  What  more  can  one 
ask — a  playground  and  yet  a  frontier  for  commercial  de- 
velopment. 

Make  your  plans  now  to  come  to  the  Exposition  on 
Mississippi's  Gulf  Coast.  A  welcome  awaits  you  as  real 
as  the  sunshine  and  flowers. 

Come  South  I  Spend  your  next  winter  here.  Oppor- 
tunity, of  which  Ingalls  wrote,  knocks. 

The  place  you  call  home  hereafter  is  up  to  you! 


MISSISSIPPI  CENTENNIAL  EXPOSITION 

11.  E.  Blakeslee,  John  T.  Connell, 

Director  General.  Executive  Secretary. 

(J  L  L  F  P  O  K  T  ,     MISSISSIPPI 
Opens  December  10,  1917.  Closes  June  10,  1918. 


nississippi 

CENTENNIAL 

EXP(?5ITI0N 

/    5>     >       7 


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